Quite the opposite

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

Our elders thought they had seen it all: war, hunger, Asian flu, terrorism... the last thing they need is the pandemic, which has been fatal for many. How do we face the future now that the present looms with an unprecedented way of life? We have always insisted on closeness, fraternity, the courtesy of a handshake.

We care about close relationships and the emotional effect of large gatherings; about the value of participating in Mass because the one on television is not “valid”, of not being lost among the pews of half-empty churches. We insist on taking off the masks of hypocrisy, to have the courage to dirty our hands in the service, to visit the elderly...

A thousand social customs that we consider as values. But now everything has changed. Now it’s quite the opposite. We must keep our distance and wear the mask; the entrance to the church is limited and we have to keep our distance; we must avoid hugs, the exchange of the sign of peace, meetings, and visits to relatives... The same gestures that were previously valued are now forbidden in the name of attention to the others.

A perceptual and value shift that reflects the uncertainty and fragility of our existence. This is certainly true for what we call the “first world”, civilized and culturally advanced. Instead, part of humanity lives daily situations of distance and uncertainty, of social distancing between rich and poor, between those in charge and those subject. How many Christians do not celebrate the Eucharist weekly and wait months before seeing a priest! Millions of people live with epidemics, famine, live in unhealthy places, they normally queue up to draw some water.

A Paduan missionary said that in Africa the virus has to get in line. There are other fears that people live with every day: cholera, wars, floods, grasshoppers, drought... In the West, we are experiencing fragility and precariousness that are usual for much of humanity. This imposed reversal of attitudes and actions urges us to a change of mentality. We are called to do the opposite of what we have done so far. Perhaps not quite the opposite: the same activities, the same free time, the same projects, but with different attention, a new style as the result of a change.

This is what nature is asking us, the same nature that has returned to make itself beautiful all around us, in the brightness of the sky without smog, in the joyful presence of numerous fish in our seas. The preciousness of health requires us to manage public health more wisely. The great challenge is to turn our way of life upside down to give value to what has gained importance in this emergency. The greeting from one balcony to another, the tidy line at the post office, the time spent with family members, the shops closed on Sundays, the prayer at home, the phone call to a lonely person.

Even the kids have noticed the beauty of going to school even though it’s a big commitment. We can and must think and act differently in order to live better. Now we have the chance to restart changing gear. We must give importance to many beautiful human dimensions that are the juice of life and make them go “viral”.